Wildcats, Huskies, and Bulldogs oh my! College basketball is back after a few day hiatus and once again we are reminded just how mad this three ring circus in March can be.
At the end of last weekend, 52 teams had received tickets home to watch the rest of the tournament from their couches. Teams like Texas, Washington, and Pitt headed home still scratching their heads over their losses while teams like Penn State and Old Dominion will always wonder just how that ball went in. Regardless of the logistics, in March its win or go home and for all those teams, turn off the music because their dance is done.
Before last night’s games, 16 teams remained. Each of these teams were enjoying the sweetness of their current status while secretly hoping that after their next game, they would find themselves standing among the elite. When the party started up again, Kansas, Ohio State, and Duke were all expected to be there while Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth and Butler somehow snuck their names on the guest list. As we kicked off the second week of a tournament that has already had more twists and turns than a CSI plot line, did we really expect anything less that more drama?
Thursday night’s games upheld their end of the bargain providing us with more exciting basketball to watch and more surprise endings to wreak havoc with our brackets. We said goodbye to the possibility of a repeat champion as the Arizona Wildcats sunk their claws into the Blue Devils of Duke. The Aztecs must have missed the Beware of Dog sign that was outside the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA last night because when they ran into them, the UConn Huskies drove San Diego State right out of the tournament. The Badgers began to shake when they realized the Bulldogs' bite was just as bad as their bark and in the end Butler chewed up and spit out Wisconsin. And finally, the most notable news of the night was the sudden demise of the tournaments biggest star. Rest in peace Jimmer Fredette. You were a promising young man with great hope for success until your unfortunate encounter with some Florida Gators. Who will the CBS Sports team talk about now?
Today is another day and a whole new set of players take the court. The Jayhawks will try to swoop into the Elite 8 but Richmond will attempt to show Kansas that there is nothing more deadly than a Spider bite. The Golden Eagles of Marquette are hoping that they will continue soaring through the tournament but it might be a North Carolina Tarheel that will bring their impressive flight to an end. VCU will keep trying to ram home the point that their invitation to the big dance was not a mistake but it is the Florida State Seminoles that hope to do a rain dance on the Rams parade. And the Ohio State Buckeyes intend to drive Kentucky nuts but the Wildcats might just be hungry today.
The big top is packed. The people are in their seats. The circus is back and something tells me, we ain’t seen nothing yet.
“It’s awesome baby! With a capital exclamation point!” – Dick Vitale
I think Arizona is going to win it all this year. Arizona has a habit of making deep tourney runs when no one expects them to. Then they usually don’t perform up to expectations in the seasons when they are expected to go deep in the tourney. This team reminds me of the ’97 team that caught everyone by surprise. I feel bad for UConn; I think they have no answer for Arizona’s talent.
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